hebrew
version
If we do not act today,
this is how the Battir landscape
will look like tomorrow.
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On Friday, July 8 th 2005, we, T'aayush activists in cooperation with The
Campus Will Not Stay Silent, participated in a tour of the picturesque village
of Battir, south west of Jerusalem. |
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The separation fence, projected to be built soon on the village lands, will
demolish the terraces landscape, the springs, and the irrigation channels unique
to this region and will bring about the destruction of the main source of earning
for the village inhabitants who are eking out a living from a thousand-year-old
traditional agriculture. To the tour were also invited members of environmental
organizations and all those concerned with the preservation of the Judean mountain
landscape; they were guided by villagers who outlined the harsh human consequences
of constructing the barrier on their lands.
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For many of the participants this
was a first and thought-provoking encounter with peaceful Palestinians
whose only wish is to be allowed to continue to cultivate their
lands in honor, but who are about to lose their lands and childhood
landscapes with the construction of the separation wall in the
next weeks. The sorrow and anger and the feeling of helplessness
of the village inhabitants left a strong impression on the tour
participants and we hope that at least some of them will join us
in our efforts to struggle against the construction of the fence
in this village and its neighbors.
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At the end of
the tour a small group of Ta`ayush activists hung posters along
the railway so that also the train passengers who enjoy the picturesque
landscape of Battir may know that all this is going to be replaced
by a concrete wall which will hide behind it aching inhabitants,
frustrated and embittered that this should be their wages for
long years of self-restraint and strict observation of good neighborly
relations. |
Unfortunately, on Saturday, the very next day after the tour, the army
entered the village, instructing the merchants to close the shops
and throwing tear-gas grenades, refusing to give the inhabitants
any explanation. Since this was the first such event for a long
time, it would appear that its real purpose was to signalize to
the inhabitants that even a non-violent and minimal gesture of
protest such as the Friday tour is not allowed to them.
> For information
on additional activity against the fence in the Bethlehem area
please contact:
Natasha joof@netvision.net.il
Amiel avardi@mscc.huji.ac.il
Efrat msebz@mscc.huji.ac.il |
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| > More
Pictures by Sahar Vardi / by Peter
Lehahn / by Natasha |
| > More
On Batir |
| > Gush
Etzion Enclave |
| > Battir
report by Tamar and Efrat |
| > Zafrir
Rinat's article in Haaretz |
